Christmas is a time of tradition, but sometimes, tradition can get a bit old.

So whether you’re religious, an only-religious-on-Christmas-and-Easter Christian, a Jew who celebrates Christmas or just someone who loves a good blow up Santa Claus, make sure to update your holiday traditions to include more recent movies and music.

The perfect Christmas mix:
When looking for the perfect Christmas mix to play in your car or in your family room, it’s important to blend the classics with more contemporary music. If you listen to the same Christmas covers every year, it can get a bit boring. So this year, try some new songs along with the old.

Classy: The smooth vocals of Michael Buble in his album “Christmas” are perfect for every occasion and enjoyable for everyone.

Pop: Justin Bieber’s festive “Under the Mistletoe” is a lot better than it may sound. Bieber’s hit original Christmas song “Mistletoe,” which reached the top of the charts last year, was an instant classic— even a non-Belieber like myself can admit this album is good.

Country: Lady Antebellum’s new album “On This Winter’s Night” has a classic and traditional feel, with beautiful harmonies and a good take on old songs.

Boy Bands: Sorry to get your hopes up but no, One Direction does not have a Christmas album (yet). But if you’re into that sound, take a trip back to the 90’s to *NSYNC’s (remember them?) Christmas album, “Home for Christmas.”

Other, original Christmas songs to include on your mix:
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Michael Buble’s “Cold December Night”
The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Better Days”
Paul McCartney’s “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time”
Reliant K’s “Merry Christmas, Here’s to Many More”

This combination will leave you with an eclectic mix of genres and songs that only sound normal during the Christmas season.

Movies:
There are two types of Christmas movies, both of which are an absolute must for the holiday season. First, there are the terrible T.V. specials. Have some lazy afternoons? Grounded? Procrastinating college apps? Well your luck is improving, because ABC Family makes several original (“original” being a technical term, not an adjective describing the plot) movies every Christmas.

This year we can all look forward to “Mistle-tones,” an original musical, which I am almost—but not quite— sorry to admit that I’ve seen and loved. Other ABC classics, like “12 Dates of Christmas” and “Snowglobe” are available on Netflix, and often play on ABC as part of its “25 Days of Christmas.” Even those without a passion for bad movies have to admit that a cheesy Christmas movie with the family can be just what they need to get into the holiday spirit.

But then there are also the classics. Christmas Eve isn’t complete without watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Elf,” or “The Grinch” (the original, animated one). And of course, don’t forget Charlie Brown Christmas.

So don’t just recycle the same Christmas music and movies this holiday season: keep the best ones, and update the rest to some new holiday traditions.